Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: Hope we’ll have a government with a full mandate ASAP (Telegrafi)
• Hargreaves: Pleased to see professional and transparent vote counting (media)
• Where did the biggest parties lose and win in the local elections? (RFE)
• Telegrafi online poll: Most respondents favor a VV-LDK government
• Berisha: We’ll join any govt that respects Egyptian community’s requests (media)
• Osmani backs protest in Tirana in support of former KLA leaders (AP)
• Bikers start march for justice for former KLA leaders (AP)
• Albania’s Foreign Minister supports protest for former KLA leaders (media)
• Balla: Thousands will unite in Tirana to seek justice for liberators (media)
• NATO: Balkans remains strategic priority, we’ll allow no security vacuum (AP)
• Jahjaga visits NATO Joint Force Command Naples, meets Munsch (media)
• Kosovo passport scores its best ranking on Henley Passport Index (media)
• Candidate for Kllokot mayor accuses Serbia of interfering in elections (Telegrafi)
• “People close to Vucic were near the polling stations in the north” (TeVe1)

Serbian Language Media:

 

• Vucic met Von der Leyen, said EU membership strategic goal of Serbia (RTS, media)
• Alleged abduction attempt in Mali Zvecan reclassified as “assault”; suspects walk free (KoSSev)
• Serbian List convincingly won in Zvecan, Strpce, Ranilug and Partes in race for councilors (Kontakt plus radio)
• SD, Serbian People’s Movement thank their voters for support (social media, media)
• The trial of three Serbs accused of war crimes to be held in their absence (Kontakt Plus radio)
• Djedovic Handanovic: Sanctions on NIS will not cause energy crisis (Tanjug)
• Justice Minister: Amendments to penal code in line with Serbia's commitment to join EU (Tanjug)

Opinion:

• Drones: Good news, bad news or non-news? (Koha)

International:

• Kosovo local elections test PM, EU leverage (Euractive)
• History of undeserved praise for Vučić (EWB)
• Historian Ivo Goldstein: ‘Croatia’s anti-Fascists were on the right side’ (BIRN)

Humanitarian: 

• Ypi: Dignity is not something waiting to be recovered from the past (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani: Hope we’ll have a government with a full mandate ASAP (Telegrafi)

Most news websites quote Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani as saying that she hopes Kosovo will have a government with a full constitutional mandate as soon as possible. “You know that despite my continuous engagement to have the Assembly fully constituted, the issue was completely dependent on the will of the political parties and MPs, but that process too has finally been completed. We have a fully constituted Assembly, and the next day after that, I gave the mandate [to form a new government] to the caretaker Prime Minister who has been nominated by the party that won the elections,” she said.

Osmani said that from the day of nomination there are 15 days [to form a new government] and the timeline passes, “but negotiations for coalitions are done only between parties or in the concrete case they can be done with MPs too, but these are discussions between political parties in which I as President should not interfere. Therefore, I cannot know where the negotiations have potentially reached, but I believe that the political parties involved can give you more information”.

“I hope that as soon as possible we will have a Kosovo government with a full constitutional mandate, because as you know the caretaker government has limited competencies”.

Hargreaves: Pleased to see professional and transparent vote counting (media)

British Ambassador to Kosovo, Jonathan Hargreaves, said that as the counting of votes for municipal assemblies continues, he visited on Tuesday the Obiliq Counting Centre together with the Chair of the Central Election Commission, Kreshnik Radoniqi. “I was pleased to see the professional and transparent counting process. The dedication of so many citizens involved in the process plays a vital role in ensuring trust and integrity in the elections,” Hargreaves said in a Facebook post.

Where did the biggest parties lose and win in the local elections? (RFE)

The news website reports that the three biggest parties in Kosovo – the Vetevendosje Movement, the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic League of Kosovo – marked rising and falling in many municipalities in this year’s local elections compared to the local elections four years ago.

See below a graph with the results of the three parties for mayors and municipal assemblies.

https://shorturl.at/RmuRt

Telegrafi online poll: Most respondents favor a VV-LDK government

Telegrafi news website reports that the results of an online poll show that the majority of respondents favor an eventual coalition government between the Vetevendosje Movement (VV) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK). On the question “Who do you think VV should form a coalition government?”41 percent of respondents from a total of 1,621 said with the LDK, 18 percent said with the PDK, 34 percent said with NISMA and the minority communities, and 7 percent said with the minority communities and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK).

Berisha: We’ll join any govt that respects Egyptian community’s requests (media)

MP from the Egyptian community, Veton Berisha, said today that they have received no invitation so far from Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti for a coalition government. “Let us see if they consider us a serious partner. I have said from the beginning that we respect those that respect us. We will respect the votes and requests we got from the Egyptian community. We will be part of any government that respects the requests we have received from the Egyptian community. We will not give our votes to someone that does not respect our requests,” he argued. 

Osmani backs protest in Tirana in support of former KLA leaders (AP)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today that she fully supports the protest that will be held in Tirana, Albania, on October 17, in support of former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army who are standing trial in the Hague. “I support this protest, and I have supported every protest calling for justice. The citizens of Kosovo and Albanians everywhere have never asked for anything except justice, justice that respects the highest principles of defense and human rights,” she told reporters. 

Osmani said that the former KLA leaders voluntarily went to the Hague because they had faith in justice. “It has been five years since they handed themselves over, without having a doubt in international justice. Meanwhile, we as the institutions of Kosovo need to guarantee that the highest principles of defense of human rights and liberties are fully respected,” she said. Osmani said that she fully respects “our citizens whenever they protest in demand of respect for these standards”.

Osmani also said that whoever saw with their own eyes what happened during the war in Kosovo knows that there was only one aggressor and that is Serbia and only one victim and that is Kosovo. “The fight of the Kosovo Liberation Army was a righteous fight for freedom, to protect our people and to liberate Kosovo from a century-long occupation. It is a fight to defend one’s home and to defend innocent civilians who were being attacked, killed and massacred by the Serbian army,” she argued.

Bikers start march for justice for former KLA leaders (AP)

Organized by the Liria ka Emer [Freedom has a Name] initiative, bikers started their tour today from Prekaz to the Hague, as a symbolic initiative calling for justice for former KLA leaders who are standing trial in the Hague. Travelling through Kosovo, they will stop at the sites of massacres committed by Serbian troops during the war in Kosovo. “This is a symbolic march, a call for justice. The goal is to arrive in the Hague and then head to Brussels with a clear message for justice,” Ismail Tasholli from the initiative said.

Former deputy leader of KLA War Veterans, Nasim Haradinaj, said the march is a symbolic act calling for a fair trial of the former KLA leaders. “I hope everything goes well. This is a call for justice. If justice is the main value, our leaders will come back innocent, and this will be a victory for Kosovo,” he said.

Albania’s Foreign Minister supports protest for former KLA leaders (media)

Most news websites report that Albania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Elisa Spiropali, expressed support today for the protest which will be held in Tirana on October 17 in support of former KLA leaders who are standing trial in the Hague. “Red and black hearts against injustice! In this century of Albanians, freedom cannot be complete with handcuffs in the hands of the liberators … The demonic alchemy of turning the heroes of morale and Euro-Atlantic allies into killers, and refuting with legal tricks the historical truths, rewarding the aggressor of yesterday by re-killing the victim, is more than criminal. It needs to end the same way it began, immediately and without condition … Under the shadow of the National Hero, we will protest the injustice that affects all Albanians, we will raise our voice in the Hague by demanding the return to freedom of the liberators. What was born as a special court of principles of law cannot be indefinitely a synonym of injustice and a disgrace for international justice, which tries to overturn history, to relativize the truth, and to stain sacrifice through procedural injustices and extended trial-less detentions. And above all when today there is only a fistful of unbased and fact-less accusations which are derived from a report that serious and national and international investigations have discredited as a product of fiction,” she wrote in a Facebook post. 

Balla: Thousands will unite in Tirana to seek justice for liberators (media)

Several news websites report that Socialist Party MP in Albania, Taulant Balla, has expressed support for the October 17 protest in Tirana calling for a fair trial of former KLA leaders in the Hague. “From Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, the diaspora and every corner of Albanian lands – thousands of hearts will come together this Friday on October 17, at 17:00, to unanimously call for justice for the liberators. Freedom has a Name,” he said in a Facebook post.

NATO: Balkans remains strategic priority, we’ll allow no security vacuum (AP)

The Western Balkans remains high on the strategic agenda of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, a NATO official said in a meeting with reporters from the region at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels today. “The Balkans is a strategic matter for the Alliance and we will allow no security vacuum,” he said, highlighting NATO’s continuous engagement for stability in the region. 

At the meeting there were discussions about the September 2023 attack in Banjska in the north of Kosovo and other attacks against KFOR troops in the same year, and it was said that the perpetrators must be held accountable. 

The NATO official called for continuous dialogue between parties in the Western Balkans, saying that it is the only alternative for long-term and sustainable solutions. 

Jahjaga visits NATO Joint Force Command Naples, meets Munsch (media)

Former Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga said today she was honored to visit the NATO Joint Force Command Naples following an invitation from United States Navy admiral Stuard B. Munsch, who also serves as commander of United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa and commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples. Jahjaga said she commended Munsch on the extraordinary work of NATO and the KFOR mission in Kosovo, which for over two decades have guaranteed a safe environment for the people of Kosovo. “Forever grateful for the NATO intervention in 1999, a move that saved an entire people from Serbian genocide and paved the way to freedom. I also expressed my deep appreciation for the leadership, partnership and friendship that Admiral Munsch and NATO have built with the people of Kosovo. Our cooperation proves that peace is not protected only through military forces but also through shared democratic values,” Jahjaga said in a Facebook post.

Kosovo passport scores its best ranking on Henley Passport Index (media)

The Kosovo passport has scored its best ranking, 65th, on the Henley Passport Index, several news websites report. The Henley Passport Index is the authoritative ranking of all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. 

Candidate for Kllokot mayor accuses Serbia of interfering in elections (Telegrafi)

Arber Emini, candidate for the mayor of Kllokot in the municipal elections, accused Serbia of directly interfering in the process. In a Facebook post, he claimed that many Serbs have been forced by Serbian authorities to vote with assistance orchestrated by the Serbian List. “Serbia does not stop interfering in our internal affairs in Kllokot. Serbia has violated the order and constitutionality of Kosovo by directly interfering in the election process … This is a flagrant violation of sovereignty and the people’s free right to choose. Serbia’s actions to orchestrate and force many citizens to get false medical documents is an external interference and it goes against democratic principles and the citizens’ rights to a free and fair election process. Our country’s institutions need to react immediately,” he argued.

“People close to Vucic were near the polling stations in the north” (TeVe1)

Venhar Isufi, a reporter with TeVe1, said today that “people close to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic” were seen near the polling stations in the north of Kosovo in Sunday’s municipal election. He said that those people were former members of Kosovo Police who resigned in 2021. “We have secured footage of former police officers that had resigned in 2021. They stayed near the polling stations on Sunday. This shows that these are people sent by [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vucic. His influence through the Serbian List is very dangerous, because these individuals are still under pressure from Serbian political structures,” he argued.

Isufi also said that the TV station has secured information about what he called suspected funding related to Serb organizations that operate in the north. “The Associations of Kolashins, which comes from Novi Pazar and has offices in Zubin Potok too, has funded the activities of the Serbian List. It acted as a channel for allocating funds to organize the transport of Serbs with buses to the polling stations,” he claimed.

Serbian Language Media 

Vucic met Von der Leyen, said EU membership strategic goal of Serbia (RTS, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met today European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen who is paying an official visit to Serbia. Following a tete-a-tete meeting, Vucic and Von der Leyen jointly addressed the press conference.

During the address Vucic said EU membership remains Serbia’s strategic goal and a foreign policy priority. “I hope we will have support and help from the EU on all matters of significance for energy security of Serbia”, Vucic noted. Speaking of the protests shaking Serbia for almost a year now, Vucic said he is proud of democratic determination and conduct of the Serbian state on this issue, adding police reacted only as a last resort and with minimum of force.

Von der Leyen said Serbia made a choice to join the EU two decades ago and should move on this path twice as fast. Addressing the question from reporters on potential investments in the region, Von der Leyen said it has been the right moment for investors to invest in the Western Balkans adding if they invest in the region they are choosing Europe. She also welcomed updates of the voters’ lists and agreement on the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) Council.

She said the European Union's position is clear and it implies freedom, not repression, including the right to peaceful assembly, partnership, not subjugation. Von der Leyen said Serbia made the choice to join the European Union two decades ago and that she expects to move along that path twice as fast. 

“It is a right moment for Serbia to undertake steps to join, it is worth investing that effort as you are approaching the goal”, she said. According to Von der Leyen it is necessary to accelerate reforms in rule of law, media and election laws, as well as to align with European Union foreign policy.

"These reforms are not easy, they require perseverance, patience, and the participation of all segments of society and the political spectrum", she said.

"This is the moment to strengthen foundations of a vibrant and effective democracy. The EU is ready to support you and make every effort necessary. The whole approach to EU accession is to implement reforms that 'draw the whole of society with you' and build a strong democracy", she said. 

Alleged abduction attempt in Mali Zvecan reclassified as “assault”; suspects walk free (KoSSev)

Two men from South Mitrovica who were arrested late last week for allegedly trying to coerce a minor girl in Mali Zvecan to enter their car against her will have been released, KoSSev has learned. At the same time, according to portal’s sources, the initial charge of “attempted abduction” has been reclassified as “assault.” The two suspects have been issued a restraining order prohibiting them from approaching the victim.

The incident occurred on Friday, October 10, when the two men from South Mitrovica allegedly attempted to persuade a Serbian minor girl in Mali Zvecan to get into their vehicle. According to the girl’s testimony for KoSSev, the men returned three times despite her refusals, and part of the encounter was recorded on her mobile phone. She managed to escape when a family friend happened to drive by and helped her reach her mother. She also recorded the alleged attackers at that moment, and they reportedly left only after hearing that the police were on their way.

The police confirmed the same evening that two suspects - A.P. (41) and G.M. (36) - had been arrested. They were allegedly under the influence of alcohol and were held for 48 hours on suspicion of “attempted abduction in co-perpetration.”

After their detention expired, the men appeared before a court. According to KoSSev’s findings, although the prosecutor requested one-month detention, the court rejected the motion.

The suspects were released, and the case will proceed under regular legal procedure. While they were initially charged with “attempted abduction in co-perpetration,” the charge has reportedly been changed to “assault.”

KoSSev has reached out to the Basic Court in Mitrovica for more details but has not yet received a response.

Serbian List convincingly won in Zvecan, Strpce, Ranilug and Partes in race for councilors (Kontakt plus radio) 

The Serbian List (SL) won a convincing victory in the race for councilors in Zvecan, Strpce, Ranilug and Partes, where it won more than 96 percent of the votes, reported Kontakt plus radio, citing the Central Election Commission (CEC). The results for councilors in North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok and Leposavic have not yet been processed.

According to CEC data, in Zvecan, the SL list achieved a convincing victory with a total of 3,321 votes, which represents 86.82 percent of voter support. The holder of the list was Ivan Todosijevic, while Serbian Democracy took second place with 264 votes (6.9 percent).

In the municipality of Strpce, the SL won the most votes - 3,862, which represents 62.33 percent of the total number. The holder of the list was Sasa Krsticic, while the second place went to the Democratic Party of Kosovo (DPK) with 499 votes (8.05 percent).

In Partes, the SL recorded the most convincing result - 1,888 votes or 96.08 percent, and the leader of the list was Dragan Petkovic. In second place was the Kosovo Alliance with 77 votes (3.92 percent).

In Ranilug, the SL, headed by Tanja Antic, won 2,172 votes, which is 81.35 percent of voter support. In second place is Igor Mitic's Movement for Freedom, Justice and Survival with 320 votes (11.99 percent), followed by Ivan Petrovic's Serbian People's Movement with 154 votes (5.77 percent), while Bojan Arsic's Kosovo Alliance won 0.90 percent of the vote.

Until the publication of the article, the data for North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok and Leposavic have not been published on the CEC platform.

SD, Serbian People’s Movement thank their voters for support (social media, media)

In a post published on Facebook, leader of Serbian Democracy (SD) Aleksandar Arsenijevic thanked his supporters from Jarinje crossing point, where he has been staying under the tent for several weeks.

“Thank you for the approximately 1,600 votes you gave to Serbian Democracy in three municipalities in the north - North Mitrovica, Zvecan and Leposavic. We managed to enter the assemblies and we hope that we will not betray your trust. I especially want to thank you as a candidate for mayor of North Mitrovica, where I received the support of 580 voters - people who believed not only in me, but in the spirit and existence of the Serbian people in Mitrovica. Although I have been out of Mitrovica and out of Kosovo for more than 70 days, you have not forgotten me”, Arsenijevic wrote. “Thank you for that, from the bottom of my heart. Let’s move on - to victory!”, he added.

 Meanwhile, the Serbian People’s Movement (SNP) also expressed gratitude to their supporters. “After the local elections in Kosovo, the Serbian People’s Movement would like to express its sincere and profound gratitude to all citizens who voted and trusted us.

Despite the complex circumstances, pressures and unequal conditions during the campaign, we showed that our people have strength, dignity and faith in changes that lead to a better future. Your support confirms that our people recognize the sincere intention and consistent struggle for the common good. The mandates won in the municipal assemblies are clear proof that the voice of our movement is heard and that the values we represent are spreading among our people. This result obliges us to continue working in a responsible and dedicated manner and in the interest of all our fellow citizens”, the SNP said in a post on Facebook.

The trial of three Serbs accused of war crimes to be held in their absence (Kontakt Plus radio)

The Basic Court in Pristina has scheduled a preliminary hearing in the case against Dusan Gavranic, Zoran Sarac and Zarko Cvetanovic, accused of war crimes against the civilian population, reported Kontakt plus radio. 

The preliminary hearing is scheduled for December 22, 2025. 

The three defendants are charged with the criminal offense of war crimes against the civilian population, according to Article 142 in connection with Article 22 of the Criminal Code of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRJ), it was announced on the Facebook page of the Basic Court in Pristina.

The Special Prosecutor's Office suggested that the proceedings be conducted in the absence of the accused, since they were unavailable until the indictment was filed.

Djedovic Handanovic: Sanctions on NIS will not cause energy crisis (Tanjug)

Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said on Monday Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's discussion with Gazprom Neft Managing Board Chairman Alexander Dyukov had been sincere, open and constructive, and added that people had no reason to worry and that there would be no energy crisis in Serbia following the entry into force of US sanctions on Serbia's Russian-majority owned oil company NIS.

"We will continue discussions and keep working on getting to a solution. There will be no energy crisis," Djedovic Handanovic said.

When you are talking to partners, it is important to seek constructive solutions, and Serbia has always been a good host to investors, she said.

Justice Minister: Amendments to penal code in line with Serbia's commitment to join EU (Tanjug)

Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic said on Tuesday amendments to the Penal Code, as well as harsher punishments for the criminal offence of rape, were in line with Serbia's commitment to join the EU and noted that amendments to legislation must always "keep up with life", Tanjug news agency reported.

"You have new types of criminal offences, new ways of committing existing criminal offences. All that must be regulated by law. In the same way, we must harmonize our legislation in the EU accession process, including our criminal legislation, with what we have in Chapters 23 and 24 (in the EU accession talks)," Vujic told K1 TV.

Commenting on objections by some opposition parties and a petition against the amendments, Vujic said the objections had been reviewed by his ministry but did not reflect the actual state of affairs and noted that regulations on corruption and misuses in public procurements had been harmonized with the Council of Europe's anti-corruption watchdog GRECO.

Opinion

Drones: good news, bad news or non-news? (Koha)

Opinion piece by Veton Surroi

Why are 1,000 drones that Kosovo purchased from Turkey good news? And why are they bad news? And: why are they non-news?

Let us start with the last question. The purchase of weapons in Europe exploded when Russia started a frontal war with Ukraine in 2022. This message got to the Western Balkans too, be it with countries that are members of NATO, and those, like Serbia and Kosovo, which are not. For European members of NATO, the manufacturing and purchase of weapons is now part of obligations to increase the responsibility for the defense of the continent, a request made by all US presidents this century, but which was approved lately only following the insistence of President Trump. So, in short, everyone is arming, and it should be no news that Kosovo is doing the same.

Moreover, there are another two reasons why this should be no news. First is that all countries of the Western Balkans (including Croatia) combined spend less in weapons than Serbia, which now has surpassed the figure of US$ 2.5 billion (according to studies by serious organizations, like SIPRI). Second, Kosovo has determined its trajectory of building an army in compliance with NATO standards and the ten-year plan is moving accordingly.

Namely, Kosovo that aspires to become a member of NATO, is purchasing weapons from the second strongest NATO member in a region where the country that does not want to be a member of NATO is purchasing weapons (from NATO members, but also from Russia and China) more than all its neighbors of the Western Balkans combined.

2.

In fact, it is news and there are two reasons why it relates to Ukraine.

First, because the war in Ukraine, which started as a trench war like World War I, achieved a tactical technological revolution that will lead to the development of new military doctrines. This includes the drone, which in three years of the war in Ukraine has managed to become a cheap replacement of the combination of artillery and aviation. Ukraine, which is faced with a human and material military deficit in face of Russia, has turned the drone into a “force multiplier” that serves to strike military forces, supply lines and warehouses without needing people to advance along the frontlines. The drone, manufactured with a low cost and spent without human and major material cost, has turned into a new defense doctrine produced by the Ukrainian experience. 

Second, this is good news, because it is incorporated into a developing defense doctrine in Kosovo. For the defense doctrine of Kosovo’s armed forces, Serbia, despite its evident geographical differences and geopolitical weight to Russia, has red security indicators which have been identified in Ukraine. Serbia is a country that has not recognized Kosovo’s independence and territorial integrity, it has a military offensive capacity against Kosovo and domination in human force and military equipment, and it has already carried out a hybrid paramilitary operation in Banjska in 2023. This would raise signals from the past for a Ukrainian military observer: Russia began its operations with paramilitary formations; it had a significant military offensive advantage and used this against a country whose existence it does not recognize.

In this analytical context, the import of drones is certainly news, that of reaching new tactical knowledge and the Ukrainian strategic analysis.

3.

But the context is way more different: Kosovo is under the protection of NATO, and some of its distinct members are involved in training the Kosovo army to be a NATO army. In this context, the purchase of drones means adapting to technological changes in weapons; instead of training with artillery along the country’s defense lines, this will be done with remotely controlled aircraft. So it is good news.

But not good news for everyone. In Serbia there have been and still are completely negative reactions, starting with the country’s president Vucic and the whole choir of officials and analysts who see the purchase of drones in Kosovo as an act of aggression, and even as an act of aggression by President Erdogan’s “neo-Ottoman” politics. 

And this point of view is damaging for Serbia itself. For this country, it is problematic that its neighbor is equipped with weapons that are proved to be part of the new defense doctrine (a minister of the Serbian government publicly explained the performances of the drone which clearly illustrate its defensive nature: a flight capacity of 36 minutes and a maximal distance of 136 kilometers). And for this country it is problematic that these weapons are sold by the second biggest force in NATO. So it turns out that Serbia, a state with a proven offensive capacity against Kosovo, minds Kosovo’s growing ability to defend itself and even more so its growth as part of NATO’s consolidation in the region. 

This then should be bad news for the European Union too. The purchase of drones in Kosovo for protection from Serbia is not an exemplary proof of the normalization of relations between the two countries or of the efforts of the EU toward this objective.

4.

So, the purchase of drones is good news, bad news and non-news.

But perhaps there is another category: drones should not be cause for news. Kosovo and Serbia should have good inter-state relations, and the whole region of the Western Balkans would be a joint security area that would correspond with Europe as a joint security area built by NATO, EU and states of the continent. Then, news would be that countries of the Western Balkans have bought helicopters for joint security operations, that they have established a network of information that drones collect for risks from fires, illegal border crossings and other threats of that nature to the joint security of the region and so on … 

Until that point is reached, drones will become news here.

International

Kosovo local elections test PM, EU leverage (Euractive)

Overall turnout was low, with only 39.07% of voters casting a ballot

PRISTINA – Kosovo’s local election results are complicating Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s political strategies and potentially giving the European Union fresh leverage to push for stalled normalisation with Serbia.

The vote, held last Sunday, saw the Albanian ruling party, Vetëvendosje, struggle in key urban centres such as Pristina, Prizren, and Mitrovica, where it will face runoffs in November.

Meanwhile, the Belgrade-backed Serbian List made a strong comeback after boycotting the last elections, winning nine Serbian majority municipalities outright and likely heading to a run-off against another Serbian rival party in the tenth.

Overall turnout, however, was low, with only 39.07% of voters casting a ballot.

Tense background

Local elections took place against the backdrop of deep institutional gridlock stemming from the February 2025 parliamentary elections and years of acrimony between Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority and ethnic Serb minority.

Kosovo, previously an autonomous province of Serbia, unilaterally declared independence from Belgrade in 2008.

Nearly two decades later, the Serbian government still refuses to recognise Pristina’s independence. The European Union has taken the lead in pushing for so-called normalisation agreements to regulate the economic and administrative ties between the two neighbours, as well as the rights of Kosovo’s ethnic Serb minority.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4rzhcyu5

History of undeserved praise for Vučić (EWB)

Since 2021, almost all of von der Leyen’s visits to Belgrade have included statements of praise for Serbia’s rule of law reforms.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will visit Serbia tomorrow as part of her annual Western Balkans tour. Since 2021, almost all her visits to Belgrade have included statements of praise for Serbia’s reforms and progress in the areas of rule of law and democracy.

These statements have created more and more controversy as they were made in the context of prolonged crises in these areas, be it electoral conditions, media pluralism or independence of the judiciary. They triggered negative reactions from a large part of the public, including those who used to regard the European Union as an ally when it comes to these areas.

As von der Leyen visits Serbia this year, the reforms Serbia pledged to implement last December in order to open a new Cluster with the EU, including the election of the new media regulator and revision of the voter register, have still not materialised.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2xtc5cw9

Historian Ivo Goldstein: ‘Croatia’s anti-Fascists were on the right side’ (Balkan Insight)

The respected author tells BIRN that his latest book – on World War II in Croatia – rejects the thesis that communism and fascism deserve equal condemnation.

Ivo Goldstein, one of Croatia’s most important historians, this year published Croatia in the Second World War, 1941-1945 - a major work that appears at a time when ideological debates over the significance of the wartime anti-fascist movement are intensifying in the country.

Goldstein, a professor of history at Zagreb University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb and a former Croatian ambassador to France and to UNESCO, is the author or co-author of dozens of books. This one was the culmination of decades of research and the collection of a vast amount of material.

“A few years ago, I was asked to recommend a book that comprehensively covers Croatia’s history during the Second World War, and I realised that no such book existed. That’s why I believe this one is important, as an overview not only for experts, but also for a wider audience,” he told BIRN in Zagreb.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/rj7sr9xv

Humanitarian/Development

Ypi: Dignity is not something waiting to be recovered from the past (Kosovo 2.0)

Ypi discusses memory, survival and the search for truth in her recently released novel, “Indignity”.

Renowned professor and political theorist Lea Ypi, celebrated for her acclaimed memoir “Free,” returns with a captivating new book that confronts the challenges of surviving and finding meaning in an age of extremes.

Recently released, “Indignity” reconstructs the life of Leman Ypi, an educated, ethnic Albanian woman from Salonica (present-day Thessaloniki), one of the most important cultural and economic centers of the Ottoman Empire. The book follows the author’s grandmother as she struggles to preserve her freedom and dignity while shifting between collapsing and emerging empires. Through rigorous and extensive archival work in Albania, Greece, the UK and beyond, Ypi opens a window onto the vivid, tumultuous and ever-shifting realities of 20th-century Europe: from the rise and fall of fascism to the iron grip and eventual collapse of communist regimes. In doing so, she not only maps Albania but the broader region of Southeastern Europe, blending scholarly precision with a feminist gaze and the richness (at times, even the contradictions) of her own family history.

Ypi’s latest work achieves three things: it offers a philosophical exploration of the concept of dignity, intertwines historical research with memoir to produce a deeply personal form of historiography, and invites readers to rethink how the past shapes our understanding of freedom, morality and political responsibility today.

Born and raised in Albania, Lea Ypi is a Professor of Political Theory at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Fellow of the British Academy. Her scholarly contributions, rooted particularly in Kantian and Marxist philosophy, have been recognized with the British Academy Prize for Excellence in Political Science. Meanwhile, her memoir “Free” won the 2022 Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize and the Slightly Foxed First Biography Prize, and has been translated into more than thirty-five languages.

K2.0 spoke with Ypi about the concept of dignity, both its philosophical and practical relevance in today’s world, the merging of archival research with personal memory, the importance of taking an inclusive approach to historical narratives and her upcoming projects.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/6EVmv